Read about pregnancy and maternity care in the health section.

• Babies of UAE nationals

After the baby is born, the hospital will provide a stamped and signed birth notification. Government hospitals will issue birth certificate as a next step.

For babies born in private hospitals, parents will need to apply to Ministry of Health and Prevention or the health authority in their emirate of residence for a birth certificate by presenting the birth notification.

After you get the birth certificate, visit Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) with the documents to add the newborn to the family data.

UAE nationals can apply online for their children's passport and Emirates ID through the website of ICP. 

Having a baby: UAE Nationals

 Source: ICP

Mabrook Ma Yak

Alternatively, UAE nationals can use Mabrouk Ma Yak, a bundle of digital services for newborn Emiratis. Under this bundle, a newborn Emirati can get:

• a birth certificate 
• his/her name added in the family data
• his/her passport
• an Emirates Identity card
• thiqa (insurance)
• health card (optional).

Babies of UAE residents

Residents have a maximum period of 30 days to register their child's birth in the UAE. If the parents are of different nationalities, the child will adopt the nationality of the father.

To process the birth certificates, a parent must submit the following identification papers to the hospital where the child is born, or to the relevant health authority in the emirate:

• attested copy of the marriage certificate translated to Arabic, if it is in a language other than Arabic
• copy and original of husband's and wife’s passport
• birth notification details from the hospital
• discharge summary from the hospital.

All expatriates must get birth certificates attested by Ministry of Health and Prevention and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Birth certificates stamped by Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DoH) or Dubai Health Authority (DHA) are equivalent to the seal of Ministry of Health and Prevention.

Residents have 120 days from the birth of their child to arrange the formal documents which includes birth certificates, passports, Emirates ID and visas of their newborn babies. If the residence visa is not finalised within 120 days, then a fee of AED100 per day would be charged for each day over the 120-day period, and the baby will not be allowed to exit the country.

Read details about how to sponsor a residency visa for your children in the UAE.

Having a baby: Expatriates

Source: ICP

Read about registering babies born outside the UAE.

Read about maternity leave and entitlements in the public and private sectors.

According to Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, the figures for births in 2022 are as follows:

males: 49,979

females: 46,652

total births: 96,631.

Refer to the excel sheet for birth statistics from 1977 to 2022.